PETER KROEGER

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PETER KROEGER Peter Kroeger died peacefully on Thursday, December 5, 2002 at the age of 84 in the Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home with his family at his side. He will be deeply missed by his wife Adina of 52 years, his son Ernie, his son Werner, daughter-in-law Kimberley and grandson David. He will also be missed by his brother Arthur and family and many other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his parents and younger brother Harry. Peter was born on June 29, 1918 in Rosental, Ukraine. His parents were Peter and Helene Kroeger (nee Koop). His mother died in 1920 during the typhus epidemic. His father remarried in 1921 to Anna Schulz and they had two sons, Arthur and Harry. In 1937 his father was taken away during a time of political unrest and never seen again. During the chaos of the Second World War the family was dispersed further and Peter worked as a translator. He was able to leave the Soviet Union and make his way to a refugee camp in Germany. In 1949 he immigrated to Canada and arrived in Quebec City. His date of arrival was noted with importance in his diary with the words "on land!". Later he said the moment of stepping onto Canadian soil was very memorable to him. From Quebec he took the train to Winnipeg. In the fall of 1949 after a morning service at First Mennonite Church he met Adina Klassen at a bus stop on Notre Dame Avenue. He remembered this as a stroke of fate. In the spring of 1950, during the historic Red River Flood, Peter and Adina were engaged and then married on October 14. Their first son Walter was born in 1951 but sadly only lived for one day. They were blessed with two more sons, Ernie and Werner. The family lived a wonderful life at 1214 Valour Rd., which was home for 40 years. Peters lifelong occupation was a draftsman and he worked for Manitoba Bridge and Engineering Works for over 30 years until his retirement in 1982. He had a challenging and fulfilling career designing and drafting many structures during the post-war years. During almost all his life Peter wrote poetry. This was one of his passions and he wrote over 750 poems. Many were published and very often special occasions were accompanied by his creative verse. He was an active member of his church and loved singing in the choir. We also remember very fondly his love of nature and the many times we would go on walks and hikes together. Some of the other pleasures he enjoyed included gardening, swimming and cycling. One time, when he was already in his seventies, he rode his bike to Assiniboine Park, completed a 50 kilometre charity cycle-thon, and then rode home. Viewing will be held at Bethania House, 1060 Kimberly Ave. from 7:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9. There will be a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 10 at First Mennonite Church, 922 Notre Dame Ave. with Pastor Hermann Dueck officiating. A reception will be held at First Mennonite Church prior to the interment at Brookside Cemetery. The family thanks the staff at Bethania for their loving and devoted care of Peter. In his memory, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home, 1045 Concordia Ave., R2K 3S7 or to CancerCare Manitoba, 695 McDermot Ave., R3E 0V9. Arrangements entrusted to Klassen Funeral Chapel, 338-0331.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 08, 2002